Board Of Health Questions Change In Mills County Public Health Office Funding

Taxpayer funding for the Mills County Public Health Office - specifically how and when those funds are distributed - was the focal point of discussion at Saturday’s meeting of the Mills County Board Of Health.

More than 30 people were in attendance at the meeting, including employees and supporters of the public health agency.

Much of the discussion centered on the way the Mills County Board Of Supervisors is now allocating taxpayer funds to MCPH. Last April, the county board’s preliminary 2024-2025 fiscal year budget called for a reduction in taxpayer funding for MCPH, from $612,542 to $155,000.

After hearing objections and concerns about MCPH services that would be lost or reduced as a result of the reduction, the board agreed to provide $500,000 to the agency in FY25.

In August, however, after the new fiscal year had started, the supervisors made the decision to distribute funds to MCPH in quarterly installment payments, instead of in one lump sum, as had been done in the past. MCPH Administrator Brenna Crouse and members of the board of health, say the change has created serious challenges and struggles for the month-to-month operations of the agency.

At Saturday’s meeting, Mills County Board Of Health attorney Matt Woods voiced frustration with the county board’s decision to Richard Crouch, the lone supervisor in attendance.

“How are we going to plan for that,” Woods asked, “if we’re not informed of that until after the fiscal year has started? How in the world do you expect us to plan for that when you changed the game midstream without even consulting us?”

Crouch said the main reason for the change is that in past years MCPH has come to the supervisors in the final quarter of the fiscal year to have their budget amended because of funding shortfalls.

“The board of supervisors thought that this would be a better way of controlling money that you were going to receive,” Crouch said.

Crouse noted that MCPH is currently operating on a total budget of $1.3 million with the majority of funding coming from grant dollars tied to specific services and programs. The grant dollars, however, come in on a reimbursement basis after services are rendered, sometimes several months after being billed. The county dollars are needed for the office to meet its monthly payroll and day-to-day office operation expenses, she said.

MCPH’s budget challenges came to light earlier this month after former Mills County Auditor Ami Petersen sent a letter to the board of health suggesting MCPH employees be furloughed for several days in November because of a shortfall in the agency’s budget. Furloughs haven’t been implemented, yet, Crouse said, but some part-time employees have had their hours reduced.

MCPH isn’t scheduled to receive its next installment payment of $115,000 from the county until the end of December. Crouse is expected to attend the Nov. 26 meeting of the board of supervisors and ask to have funding moved up to prevent furloughs and allow the office to operate normally in December.

Crouch invited board of health members to attend the Nov. 26 meeting for discussion on the matter.

Woods took exception with a statement made by Crouch that he doesn’t know where the county would come up with “excess money” to provide more than the $115,000 installment payment in December.

“I don’t understand how that’s excess money,” Woods said. “It’s budgeted money. That’s where I get confused. This is not excess money. You have the money sitting in the bank.”

Woods asked Crouse what the immediate impact would be on MCPH if the supervisors aren’t agreeable on Nov. 26 to immediately release additional funds that have been budgeted for the office.

“It all depends on how much (grant) money comes in this month that I can apply to the amount left at the end of November,” she said. “If my calculations or predictions are correct, we’re left with like $1,000 at the end of November.”

Several members of the audience voiced their concerns about the potential loss of MCPH services, including Jack Sayers who will replace Carol Vinton on the board of supervisors in January.

“I have a unique perspective. After campaigning for eight months in Mills County, after running for the Mills County Board of Supervisors, public health is one of the biggest concerns for the people of Mills County,” he said. “They do not want it to be defunded. They want the agency to be strong – they want it to be strengthened. There’s a lot of concern.”

 

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